Madam Bukky’s food mart was the busiest on Salem street. long queues were sighted in front every morning, as workers and students who were too busy to make breakfast always had something palatable for breakfast there. Not only was her food tasty that people didn't mind waiting long hours just to be served, she was also a very lovable woman.
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She always had a way of charming her customers with her smile, especially in moments they felt agitated about not getting their orders soon enough.With her words, she would tease them till the last nerve in them got relaxed.
“ Fine man, this shirt is so fine! don't worry, that your food, extra meat will come with it.” Like magic, the person would let his guard down and wait till the order came.
Two years earlier, Madam Bukky had lost her husband.Both of them were like two peas in a pod.Even when he was a very busy business man, he wouldn't fail to stop by the shop to help with whatever she needed help with.Of course, the neighbours began to whisper. Some of them never had the guts to say it to her face.
Others would register their bitterness in the disguise of a joke.
“ This your husband, it's like you've blowed powder for him o.” They would say it and give a fake chuckle after, to try to play down on what they had said. Bukky in her usual jovial nature would always give a funny response to match their statement. “Eh he, as his wife, I must blow powder on him na.” She would respond with smiles, but deep down, she understood they meant more than what they said, but she was not perturbed about them.
Those who were bold enough to tell her how they felt about her husband were far better than the ones who never acted like they had a fume in their heart regarding her relationship with her husband. One of such was David, her husband's younger brother who had refused to work. For him, he was better off acting as leech and feeding off his elder brother's money than going out to make his own money.
After his attempts to convince him to go out to make money fell on deaf ears, he had given up. The odd part of the story is that Bukky's husband trusted him and confided in him about the businesses he had in and outside the state, some of which Bukky had no knowledge of. After her husband died, she couldn't evict him from their house; he had become family. This was her greatest undoing.
It was one of those busy mornings at her shop with customers everywhere, and she was busy trying to make sure everyone was attended to. A certain gentleman had walked in searching the entire place in a suspicious manner. Though she was absorbed in attending to several customers, her eyes didn't miss this one. He had sat there for sometime without placing an order, so she decided to meet him herself.
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“Oga, welcome. What would you like to eat?" His bulky eyes sized Madam Bukky from head to toe, before he reluctantly answered “call your madam”. Madam Bukky wasn't in form for a lot of drama so she immediately responded “ I'm the one you want to see” “Oh!” He exclaimed, looking very surprised.
He dipped his hand into a briefcase that was on the table, and pulled out an envelope from a pile of other documents in the briefcase. Immediately he served her the documents, he closed his case and made to leave the shop. He didn't even give her the opportunity to ask questions or say a word.
She had received a court summon to vacate her shop within a month. This was unbelievable ! How did her shop suddenly become government property? A land her husband had acquired and they had occupied for years. She was confused. Not sure of what to do, she visited the agency that had issued the letter to air her complaint. At the office, it seemed everyone was too busy to listen to her. She eventually met someone who told her she would have to come with the land documents as proof, if she must keep her property.
She was a bit relieved and headed home to get the documents.She had been searching the drawers in her room for the documents for hours, but luck wasn't on her side. She began to feel like her memory had failed. Hot sweat trickled down from her head. “This is a lie!” She kept saying to herself. How did the documents disappear? She was so confused that she didn't know when she began to shed tears.
Two weeks on, the agency had sent a reminder. She became restless and helpless. Where was she supposed to relocate to? After she failed to find the documents, she had pleaded for an extension so she could take more time to find the documents, but her plea yielded zero result.Madam Bukky gradually became a shadow of herself. She was beginning to lose customers because she couldn't prepare a variety of meals daily.Her money went into settling the men at the agency for an extension of time, but it wasn't fruitful.
This morning, Madam Bukky wasn't disposed to go to the shop. She was at home thinking of what she could do to keep her shop. Soon, she felt a strange irritation in her throat that made her cough hard, so she walked downstairs to get herself a cup of water to help with the cough. As she walked down the stairs, she could hear David, her late husband's brother whispering from his room.He was on a call with someone. Something led her to halt in front of his room.What she heard didn't add up, so she waited longer to be sure.Her hands began to shake uncontrollably with tears rolling down. How could he? Her thoughts had gone wild as she stood on the stairs, that she didn't notice when David opened the door and met her standing there.
“You are evil.” “How could you try to displace me after I've been nothing but good to you.” David was quiet for a while, only to begin to speak like he had been charged “ What have you done for me?” I serve you, yet you enjoy my brother's property alone.” “I needed to have my own share.” Madam Bukky was broken. She hurriedly went to her bedroom to get her phone to call the police.
She had ordered the arrest of David, alongside those at the agency he conspired to displace Madam Bukky. Relieved,she could fully resume sales at her shop. Though she lost some customers, as soon as she returned, word went round that she had resumed cooking fully, again.
She would indeed lose customers just because of this document. David must be arrested as that act is not the best and indeed criminal offense.
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